Hamlin originally set up a GoFundMe with a goal of raising $2,500 to buy toys that would be distributed at Kelly and Nina’s Daycare Center in his hometown of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania.
Fans have rallied to show their support for Damar Hamlin after the Buffalo Bills safety suffered a cardiac arrest on the field against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday.
Per CNN’s Chris Boyette and Nouran Salahieh, an online toy fundraiser set up by Hamlin in 2020 has received more than $3 million in donations since the postponement of Monday’s game.
Hamlin originally set up a GoFundMe with a goal of raising $2,500 to buy toys that would be distributed at Kelly and Nina’s Daycare Center in his hometown of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania.
There have been more than 133,000 donations to the GoFundMe account.
“Something I’ve always been into just giving back, something I’ve been doing back home in Pittsburgh for three years, I’ve been doing the toy drive, so just being able to extend it to Buffalo now is just something I love doing,” Hamlin told Olivia Proia of WKBW ABC in Buffalo (h/t Boyette and Salahieh) during a toy drive last month.
The Bills said in a statement that Hamlin is in critical condition after suffering a cardiac arrest. His heartbeat was restored on the field before he was transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for further additional testing and treatment.
The incident occurred late in the first quarter after Hamlin collided with Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins as he was making a tackle. Hamlin got back to his feet but immediately collapsed to the ground.
After a long delay, the NFL initially announced the game was suspended before ultimately postponing it. The NFL Players Association said it has been in contact with the league, as well as players for the Bills and Bengals.
Hamlin, 24, is in his second season with the Bills. He was a sixth-round draft pick out of the University of Pittsburgh in 2021. He has appeared in 29 games in his NFL career.